1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a system and method of communicating between players of games played over a wireless network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Predefined messages are, for purposes of the present invention, defined as electronic messages whose contents are predefined and stored in a database or other file of messages for sending any number of times by one player to another player at a later time. In contrast, a message that is not predefined is generally created by a user at substantially the time it is to be sent and is intended to be sent only once. It is advantageous to predefine messages when the same content is to be sent multiple times to one or many recipients so that it is unnecessary to repeatedly recreate the content of those messages. Sending predefined messages also reduces the load placed on the network by the sending of messages because the sender must only send a predefined command, rather than a textual message, and the network only has to recognize and process the known command by selecting which predefined message to send and to whom to send it.
PC-based games that are played online over a network such as the Internet sometimes permit the sending of predefined messages relating to the games. In gaming applications, predefined messages comprise mostly voice and text messages that are selected from a menu of messages and sent from one player to another to communicate the sender's sentiments. These predefined messages can be automated to be sent automatically upon the occurrence of a particular event. The predefined messages on the game or game system allow players to communicate more effectively and make the communication more amusing.
As the use of mobile (including wireless) terminals becomes ubiquitous, it is desirable to be able to send messages between players of online games that are played over a network using mobile terminals. Sending messages on mobile terminals through presents unique challenges. It is often difficult for a player to define a message to be sent while playing a game because the game often fills the entire relatively small display on the mobile terminal, and using a portion of the display to prepare a message to be sent will cover a substantial portion, if not all, of the game screen, making it difficult or impossible to see the game while communicating. Moreover, there is a dearth of simple input devices for mobile terminals, compared to the large variety of input means available on PC's including, most commonly, keyboards, mice, joysticks, and any number of specialized input devices. Mobile phones, for example, usually only have numeric keypads and possibly a few special feature buttons that can be used to enter messages. Entering messages by typing on a keyboard can be a slow process and can interrupt the game. Therefore, it is not only challenging to create games that can be played using mobile terminals but it is also challenging to find a simplified means for players to communicate before, during, or after the playing of the game.
Certain business-oriented commercial applications that operate over wireless networks likewise use predefined messages at times. However, none of these applications have applied the use of predefined messages to games played by multiple players over a mobile network.